Don Friesen
Dorothy and I began our courtship as friends. We had the same circle of friends in a small community in northern Manitoba, and we had Saskatchewan in common, and really, what else does one need? In its early stages a friendship with the potential to blossom into love is a private matter, although people began to notice that we were often together. Then we were more often together than apart, and when Dorothy took me home to get vetted by her family and relatives, it was a sign to our friends that things might turn serious. Even so, one doesn't want to expose a delicate relationship to undue public scrutiny and analysis. The private relationship, however, gradually became public with the appearance of rings, semi-public displays of affection and such, until finally we "went public" and announced our intention to marry. And some months later we marked our intention and our commitment with a public ceremony in which, before friends and family and before God, we vowed to love each other until death do us part.
There is something in the natural rhythm of a relationship that moves it along to this point. Timing is important, for one can jeopardize the relationship by rushing things, by going public prematurely. One can also jeopardize the relationship by stalling its natural development. Some suitors suffer from what we might call relational arrhythmia, a failure to be able to take the relationship to the next level of commitment — but that's another story.
There is also a certain rhythm to our relationship with God and in the development of our faith. Many of us were schooled in the elements of faith, but at some point we decided that we would claim that faith for ourselves. Our faith progressed from an inherited faith to an internalized faith, and somewhere along that line of progression it becomes important to go public with our choice. There may be times of dithering — in faith as in love — but at some point we need to make a decision!
Baptism is a public marking of that decision of faith, and faith is inherently a public act, a public expression. Jim Wallis, of the Sojourners community, ways, "Faith is always personal, but never private." There is no such thing as a discreet disciple, a private parishioner. Faith is at its root a communal expression, a public witness of our solidarity with God, and with God's people. Baptism marks our formal inclusion in the Christian community, a community that was born to go public. The witness of the apostles, as recorded in the Book of Acts, is that the church is born to speak all the languages of the culture, all the languages of the world, in order to carry the grace of God to the public, to all people!
It might be good if occasionally we would challenge those young in their faith development by saying, "Admit it! You're a Christian!" And we admit to such a profession, not so much because of overwhelming evidence of our commitment, but because of our intention. I want to be a Christian. I want to be like Jesus. I want to be more holy, more loving, more Christ-like.
The Apostle Paul often reflects on the publicness of our profession of faith in a negative way, saying, for example, "I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him." (2 Timothy 1:12) The passages of Scripture just read, however, also give positive reasons why we want to make public our solidarity with God and with the people of God. There is, for example, God's watch and care for His people, whom he gathers from the farthest parts of the earth. (Jeremiah 31:8) There is the comfort of God's consolation. (31:9) There is our salvation in Christ (Hebrews 7:25) and Christ's intercession on our behalf (7:25) and his ability to sympathize with our weaknesses, for he is a priest who in every respect was tested as we are. (Hebrews 4:15)
There were many times in Christian history, and in our own particular history, when admitting to Christian faith was a dangerous thing. And there are many places around the world today in which a public declaration of your Christian faith can be a costly admission. That is not so in our own culture, although the Christian witness has become so devalued that people are often embarrassed to admit that they are Christians. Our culture increasingly views Christianity as irrelevant, a cultural hang-over from some unenlightened, pre-modern era. So it takes a special courage and resolve to admit that you're a Christian, and to admit that the benefits of our faith far outweigh the negative aspects of our Christian heritage.
There comes a point when you need to admit who you are and who you want to be, and on whose behalf you want to shape your life. So admit it! You're a Christian! And you want to be like Jesus! When that happens, the Church baptizes you and celebrates your commitment!
All quotations of Scripture, unless otherwise noted, are from the New Revised Standard Version.